Bio:

378 years ago, Bretto was created by a nameless old man who lived on
the path between two great warring cities. The old man was of the
clever sort, and was lonely. Being a mechanical genius, he cobbled
together a unique warforged out of metal and runic magic. Enchanted
cogs and wheels along with precise magical application resulted in a
clockwork companion for the lonely old man. And for a time, they were
happy.

Now, the two warring cities heard about the old man’s mechanical
genius, and each sent an envoy to the man’s house, demanding that he
create weapons for them. The kindly old man could not refuse, for he
did not want to bring war to his home, and surely, the two great city
rulers would order him exterminated. Taking careful notice to hide
Bretto whenever the representatives came, he came to supply both
cities with mechanical weaponry, bombs and war machines of terrible
consequence. As long as he had Bretto, his Ticking clockwork son, he
was happy, for always, the cities were evenly matched. He played a
clever balancing game for the two warring cities, always supplying
each with the means to defeat the other’s latest weapon.

One day, a child was playing idly on the road between the cities, and
saw Bretto, a hulking, steam-powered clockwork monster to his eyes.
Terrified, he ran back to his city, and told the elders there what he
had seen. The city elders, along with a cadre of their finest
warriors, traveled to the old man’s house, demanding access to this
new Warforged weapon. When he refused, they bullied him aside and
stole Bretto away. Having no knowledge of fighting and warfare,
Bretto was useless to the army, but they could not let this technology
fall into their enemies’ hands. They resolved to destroy the old man
and his work, then set the city engineers on unlocking the secrets of
Bretto’s construction.

Meanwhile, the old man was busy formulating plans of his own. He put
his considerable expertise to work in creating a new monster: a true
warforged abomination, for in his anger and grief over the loss of his
friend, he did not know what he was doing. Through tear-filled eyes,
he ordered his new abomination to destroy the offending city, along
with the other, for their war had made the old man weary and callous
to the outside world.

At night, the city which had captured Bretto sent assassins into the
old man’s house, and, not knowing that he was the only one who could
stop this new abomination, had him killed and his house burned to
ashes.

This new monster was an efficient killer, weaponry embedded in its
hide, and death its only concern. In just two days, both cities were
razed to the ground. Bretto was the only survivor, his metal exterior
keeping the flames and destruction at bay. When faced with the
terrible abomination his father had created, he was filled with
sadness and wonder. The monster attacked, and Bretto was forced to
defend himself. For weeks, they fought, neither tiring, neither
giving way, for Bretto was an instrument of care and love, and the old
man had built him to last forever. Eventually, their personal war
came to the charred ruins of the old man’s house, and both machines
stopped. Their foster father dead, Bretto could not bare to fight on.
The other was build without a heart or a soul, but understood the
importance of his creator’s death. He left Bretto to mourn the old
man, and to find his fortune.